Laserfiche Winning Reseller Solbrekk Shares Four Secrets To Success

Minneapolis, Minnesota – May 12, 2009 – Laserfiche today named Solbrekk Business Tecnhnology Solutions as VAR of the Month for May 2009. The reseller has demonstrated significant success with Community Action Agencies and ancillary government agencies like Watersheds (Rice Creek Watershed). The resellers work with the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s legacy systems helped the newspaper win a Run Smarter Award at last year’s Laserfiche International Conference.

“Yes, people are more cautious, but there are pockets of organizations in nearly every field that are looking to spend money on document imaging technology this year and my job is to find them,” says Larry Phelps, Vice President of Sales for Solbrekk.

Phelps credits much of Solbrekk’s success to extensive marketing efforts. “When money’s tight, organizations are not necessarily looking for the best price, but the best value. That’s where your customer stories, case studies, and references all lend credibility to your sales process,” he explains. “People want to pick the supplier who everyone knows was a wise choice, a product that works, and a product they know how to use.” He provides the following four secrets to success:

1. Have your clients market for you – If they see positive benefits, they are often happy to share about it as references, in case studies, success stories, and user groups.
2. Get in front of local community organizations as an expert in office management and efficiency.
3. Incorporate social media tools to reach your audiences – Communicate and educate via blogging, You Tube, e-newsletters, and mini Web sites.
4. For branding success, link all media tools back to Laserfiche’s Web site, which provides credibililty and a wealth of additional information.

Phelps has been blogging about document management for three years (Larry’s Blog), while using YouTube to post his own instructional videos (<a ref “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wmy2c89klA&#8221; Youtube Video). “I had a person contact me about my online demo. It turns out it was a Laserfiche VAR in South Africa and I was able to help him make the demo available to his prospects,” recalls Phelps. “That shows the power and magic of this technology where two VARs from totally different continents can help one another.”
He also uses e-newsletters, seminars, user groups, mini-websites and auto-responders. But, Phelps says the most important marketing tools are his case studies, where users like Laserfiche Luminary Dick Crumb, CIO of Shoreview, MN, detail their success working with Solbrekk (<a ref “http://www.solbrekk.com/case-studies.asp?docID=85&#8221; City of Shoreview Story).
“Posting these stories on the web and linking them to Laserfiche’s website helps build brand awareness to the search engines and helps prospects find Laserfiche and its VARs,” he adds.

Phelps himself first became aware of Laserfiche from enthusiastic users over a decade ago. While researching cost-effective replacements for a client’s outdated microfiche system, he discovered another organization using Laserfiche five hours away. “They were so excited they wanted me to drop everything. ‘It would be worth it,’ they said. ‘You’ve just got to see this software.’”
He saved himself the trip and instead called Laserfiche. After several conversations, he not only purchased Laserfiche for his client, he became his area’s reseller as well.
“In those early days it was really important to educate our prospects on the basic concepts of document imaging. They’d never seen anything like Google; they were totally amazed at the ability to search their documents for any word or phrase,” he says. “It was educate, educate, educate.” Especially in the current economy, he says, it still is.
“More than ever we need to help prospects understand the power of a real document management system. You’d think users know the difference between Laserfiche and a product that attaches PDF’s to their proprietary system,” Phelps says. “In fact, I think now, more than at any time, it is important to help clients clear away the noise and find a solution that will help them run their businesses more effectively.”

About Laserfiche
Laserfiche® creates simple and elegant document management solutions that help organizations run smarter. Since 1987, more than 25,000 organizations have used Laserfiche software to help staff find what they need in seconds, collaborate more effectively and complete daily tasks more efficiently. Engineered for rapid deployment, Laserfiche easily integrates with the primary business applications staff use every day.

Laserfiche distributes software through a worldwide network of value-added resellers (VARs), who tailor solutions to clients’ individual needs. In recognition of the outstanding training and support we provide to our resellers, the Laserfiche VAR program has received the Five-Star Rating from Computer Reseller News/VARBusiness magazine.
Francine Marlenee, APR, Public Relations Specialist
Laserfiche